Finally He Realized
by cifan
Summary: A Christmas themed fluffy one shot. Pure Fluff. Enjoy!


**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are part of Dick Wolf's wonderful world of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.**

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**Sometime after "Frame":**

They were sitting in interrogation. The suspect was tight lipped. Bobby Goren was at a loss. He stood up and was heading for the door. He needed a break. It wasn't often that his methods were thwarted, but this time it seemed he'd lost.

Alex could see his frustration. Without a thought, she led their suspect down a path of seemingly innocuous questions. Bobby paused at the door, choosing to lean against it instead of opening it. She was getting this guy to relax and open up ever so slightly; allowing Bobby to pounce on the smallest nugget of pertinent personal information or misspoken words. She knew eventually he would find what his mind needed to click back in to gear.

After only a few minutes it worked. The suspect gave up a small piece of relative information and Goren found the connection he needed. Confession proclaimed, suspect arrested, case closed.

Goren sat back and studied his partner. She was busy organizing crime scene photos and other papers back into a file. It was then that he realized; _she completely gets me_. The sensation that washed over him made him shiver. _I love her. No doubt about it_. As he embraced those thoughts his mind continued along the same path. _She's it for me. She's all I need in my life. She's the one person who I trust, who I love, and who I want. And I better do something about this before it's too late._

As Alex stood up she glanced over at Bobby. She was expecting him to follow her lead and get up as well but he just sat there, not taking his eyes off of her.

"You're staring at me."

"How do you do that?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows together, giving him a confused look.

He continued, "how did you know just what I needed from that guy? I mean, as far as I was concerned, he beat me. I was done. But then…then you…you just worked your magic. You asked the questions I needed to have asked and got him to reveal just the right thing and we got the confession because of it." He was shaking his head in wonderment.

Alex thought about it for a only a second, then shrugged and spoke nonchalantly, "I just knew what you needed." She turned and left the room.

And there it was. _She knew what I needed. She knows me like no one else, and yet, she's here. It hasn't scared her off. She hasn't run away. _Bobby sat there for a few more minutes pondering Alex Eames. He wasn't completely certain what the full extent of her feelings were toward him. But somewhere along the lines he had started to sense that she was attracted to him. He thought he had picked up on small differences in her voice and he could swear that some of her brief glances were filled with yearning or desire. He had been too afraid to test this theory of his, but now? Now he felt he was ready. All he could do was think about everything they could be missing out on. He knew it was an incredible risk, but he was overcome with the thought that it was a risk worth taking.

He wasn't sure how or when. But he knew what he had to do.

--

**12/23/08: **

The squad was doing it's Christmas ritual. Everyone was standing around, drinking eggnog and beer. There were some munchies and sweets to nibble on and Christmas music was playing from someone's pc. People were laughing and reliving some of their more memorable cases from the year. All in all it was a happy bunch.

Bobby only came to the party because he was forced to. He hated things like this. Even though they were the same people he saw every day, he's so much more comfortable with them having to only converse about work. But it was Christmas party after all, and everyone was expected to be there.

He was looking forward to seeing Alex, though. He loved how her mannerisms immediately softened when work was officially done for the day. It was as if she felt she still had to prove her toughness to the NYPD and to her co-workers in Major Case. Maybe in a way she did, but she didn't have to with Bobby. Now that both Carolyn and Mike were gone, he was the only one who had the privilege of knowing the "Alex" side of "Eames" on a routine basis. But tonight, at the party, she was letting "Alex" hang out and he couldn't be happier.

He loved watching her. Especially when she didn't know he was.

Watching her smile and laugh from across the room made him smile as well. He was wondering what story Jeffries was telling to make her laugh out loud. She was relaxed and thoroughly enjoying herself. He thought about the past year and how close he came to not standing where he was; not hearing her laughter. But he was there and he did hear it so he pushed those thoughts away as he dipped his hand into his jacket pocket and fingered the small box that rested in it.

A little while later, Goren made his way over to Eames.

----------------

"Hey, I have something for you." He dipped down close to her ear.

"Me, too."

"Follow me?"

Goren led Eames to the observation room.

As Eames walked by her desk she swiped the three gifts off of it and followed Goren.

He stopped at the doorway, having her pass by him. She walked further into the room. He closed door.

"These are for you." She smiled at him as she presented the boxes to him.

"Three? All for me?"

"Yes. This one first." She handed him a medium sized square box.

He studied it as she held it out to him but didn't take it.

"It's not radioactive or anything, Bobby. It's just a gift. Most people would just accept it and say thank you."

Bobby quirked an eyebrow at her. "Thank you" he said and smiled softly as he reached and grasped the package.

He carefully unwrapped the box, only to find another box. "Ah, a box trick," he smiled at her and he was rewarded with a wide smile. His heart swelled.

Bobby put the first box on the desk and lifted out the other box, this one much smaller than the first, and pulled the paper off of it. He found a small jewelry style box. Inside was a gold tie clip. It was long and rectangular, with delicate etching along the edges. His eyes grew larger and he seemed excited. Alex was thrilled. He noticed it said something on it so he drew it close to him. The front of it said, 'NYPD - MCS'. He lifted it from the box giving it a close inspection.

Alex watched him. She was so happy to see his reaction so far. She was sure that he didn't receive gifts on a regular basis, so she wanted to make sure his Christmas gifts from her were extra special. Especially after the year he had. She wanted to reassure him that he was cared for and that she would always be there for him.

Alex was waiting for him to turn the clip over and see the inscription on the back. She watched him as he rolled it over in his hand.

"Forever Your Partner. Alex."

Goren choked back a tear. He couldn't speak for a minute, he just stared at the inscription. _Forever…forever_.

"Eames…" He stopped.

She could see his struggle, so without waiting for a response she handed him the next gift.

It was clearly a shirt box. He ignored his broken response to her first gift and ripped this one open with a little more gusto. He found a beautiful Armani dress shirt and matching tie. The shirt was sky blue; a color that made her melt every time he wore it. The tie had a blue and red checked pattern.

"Eames, these are great!" Focusing on this gift, he was very enthused.

"One more." She handed him the last of the packages.

He lifted the last of the gifts. It was the largest of the three. It also had a small box resting on top of it.

"Which should I open first?"

"The small one." She replied smiling mischievously.

He unwrapped it to find a pastry box. He looked at her quizzically.

"Oh, just open it. You'll see…it's funny."

With that he raised the top off the box. He found himself staring at a miniature fruitcake.

"Get it?!"

Long pause. "Ah… so…does this mean you think I'm 'nuttier than a fruitcake'?"

Eames' smile was larger than he ever imagined. He loved her smile.

They laughed together at her joke while he nodded his head. "I guess you would know, Eames!" he replied, his voice still tinged with humor.

"Now…the last one." She was more serious. Almost apprehensive. He noticed right away.

Alex watched him as he slowly peeled the tape away from the paper. He was teasing her, and the box. He was being playful and flirtatious. She loved it.

"C'mon, Goren…are you gonna open it or buy it dinner first?" Smirk met smirk.

He continued his slow, almost seductive, unwrapping of the gift; all the while his eyes were catching hers. Neither realized how they were both reacting to the strip tease he was performing on this innocent little gift. Both were imagining the box as being each other.

Finally, he opened it up and found an envelope. Opening the envelope he read: "This Gift Certificate entitles Robert Goren to a trip through Europe. You will spend 3 weeks traveling where you want, when you want. All expenses paid for. Merry Christmas…you deserve it. All my love, Alex."

Bobby backed up and leaned against the desk. He was in shock to say the least. If he thought her first gift affected him, he couldn't put to words what this one had done. He kept rereading the letter. _This can't be real._ He was beyond words as he rubbed his fingers across his mouth.

Alex watched his reaction. She felt her whole body warm with delight and desire when she saw the look on his face. She moved closer to him.

"Well? What do you think?"

He was still speechless.

"You can go anytime you want, Bobby. I thought you could really use some time alone. Some time to do clear your head."

He still wasn't speaking. Now she was getting nervous.

"Bobby?"

He dropped his head. "Eames. I have no idea…" He couldn't continue. What he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, tell her he loves her, and never let her go. Since he couldn't do that, he was at a loss as to how to react.

Once again, Alex knew what he needed.

She moved toward him. She slowly slid her legs in between his and rested her hands on his chest.

Bobby kept his eyes closed but moved his hands to her hips.

"Bobby, do you like the gift?" She whispered.

He nodded. He hung his head; unable to look at her just yet.

"I can't begin to express how I feel right now."

"Then don't. Just accept it." They nodded at each other but he could barely look at her.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the box he had for her.

With slightly trembling hands he handed her the long, slender, blue box with a bright red bow.

"Merry Christmas, Alex", he managed through a hoarse voice.

"Oh, Bobby…What have you done?"

"Not enough, actually. You deserve so much more. But, it's all I can give you right now." Finally, he looked her right in the eyes.

She stood there staring at him. The man never ceased to surprise her. She could see so much love in his eyes; it took her breath away.

She carefully unwrapped her gift and opened the box. She found a beautiful Tiffany necklace. It was a white gold solid heart pendant with diamonds set in it. It was breathtaking.

"Oh my God, Bobby. I can't…"

"No! Yes…yes you can, Eames." He took the box and moved behind her so he could put the necklace on her.

She stood there as he carefully clasped the chain. Once it was secure, he lifted her hair so the necklace could drape around her neck properly. Before he moved away, he kissed the back of her head tenderly.

She turned to face him and looked down at her neck.

"I don't - " that's as far as she got.

"Don't you dare say you don't deserve this gift." He twisted his torso so he was almost at eye level with her. "You deserve this and so much more, Alex. I'd give you the world if I could."

Alex was stunned. Before she could think about it, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Instinctively he moved his hands back around her waist.

His mind didn't spin. Instead, it focused on Alex and the fact that she was in his arms.

Their kiss was slow and passionate. They both pretended they weren't standing in the observation room that they spend so much of their working time in. They got lost in each other. Their tongues, their hands, their bodies, all exploring.

"Let's not waste any more time, Alex." Bobby managed to blurt out as their lips separated.

"Bobby, take me home." She reclaimed his mouth.

"Anything for you. I don't want to miss out on another minute with you, we've waited too long already." He whispered in her ear.

Before they could leave, Alex pulled him back to her.

"Bobby… Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Alex."

They didn't waste any more time.

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**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!**

**Until next time…cifan**


End file.
